Uruguayan filmmaker, Fede Alvarez, posted his low budget short film Ataque de Panico! (Panic Attack) on YouTube last month. The film cost $300 to make.
According to an article on the BBC website, he uploaded the film on a Thursday and by Monday he’d received offers from Hollywood studios to make a feature film. He’s now signed up a deal with Sam Raimi to make a $30m Hollywood movie.
I wonder what would have happened if Panic Attack had been made by a UK filmmaker. Would the UK film community congratulate him or castigate him?
If you read some of the comments on my previous post or the resulting discussions on Shooting People (requires log in), there are plenty of people who think Fede Alvarez wouldn’t, or perhaps more importantly, shouldn’t have got this opportunity in the UK. There are people who would dismiss Mr Alvarez as nothing more than a hobbyist or enthusiast. There are some who would hound him for making a film without paying everyone.
So, the way I see it, the next generation of UK filmmakers needs to fall into one of the following categories:
- Be called Tarquin and have a father who drives a Jaaaaaaag
- Live in Uruguay
Happy Christmas!
